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Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow is accused of misconduct in office in a complaint filed by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission that cites 10 cases dating back about a decade.

The 21-page complaint -- filed Wednesday and made public Thursday -- accused Morrow, who works in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice overseeing criminal cases, of engaging in conduct that "demonstrates a lack of impartiality, failure to follow the law, an abuse of judicial power and violations of the Michigan Code of Judicial Conduct."

Donald Campbell, Morrow's attorney, said he believes that when all the evidence is presented and considered, it will be determined that Morrow used his discretion appropriately.

"We have freely and voluntarily cooperated with the investigation of the Judicial Tenure Commission over the last three years," Campbell said. "And we look forward to trying the issues that are laid forth in the complaint."

The Free Press could not reach Morrow for comment Thursday.

The complaint alleges Morrow failed to make a record of why he closed a courtroom in 2009 and did not let a victim's family in during a first-degree murder case.

The complaint also accused him of failing to give a defendant in a drunken-driving case a mandatory sentence; not remanding a defendant found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13 before sentencing; shaking the hand of a defendant; bringing a defendant out of lockup and then sentencing him and returning him to lockup with no security in the courtroom, and obtaining medical records of a defendant without the knowledge or consent of the man, his attorney or prosecutors.

Campbell said Thursday that he hadn't seen the complaint and couldn't comment on specific allegations, but he said there were 10 matters from Morrow's career as a Wayne Circuit Court judge that spans about 20 years.

He said the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office made complaints and the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission's investigation started in 2010.

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"This is an attempt at trying to re-litigate matters where the judge made a decision that the Prosecutor's Office just didn't like," Campbell said.

The Prosecutor's Office declined to comment Thursday.

"The process must take its course," spokeswoman Maria Miller said.

University of Michigan law professor David A. Moran said Thursday that many of the allegations seem like the kind that would be in a Judicial Tenure Commission complaint, but he said he was surprised at a few that were included, such as Morrow sentencing a person who pleaded no contest to home invasion to 18 months below the minimum sentencing guidelines.

"Judges are not supposed to be disciplined for ruling the wrong way," he said. "That's what we have appellate courts for."

The commission has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to appoint a master -- usually a retired judge who takes a role similar to that of a trial judge -- to preside over a formal hearing.

"If at the hearing ... the JTC offers evidence that proves that he has performed his judicial functions in a persistently incompetent manner or has frequently not treated persons fairly and courteously, or even has interfered with the fair administration of justice, he then could be disciplined," said Larry Dubin, a University of Detroit Mercy law professor.

Morrow worked Thursday and has a pre-approved vacation day today, said Elizabeth Kocab, general counsel for the court. She said he has been on the bench since 1993 and no actions have been taken by the court since the complaint was filed.

"We really have to allow the system to play itself out," Kocab said. "It would really be unfair for us to comment on the validity or the strength of the allegations at this point."

There have been 92 formal complaints filed against judges since the Judicial Tenure Commission was formed in 1969, executive director Paul Fischer said.